RE: BMW M140i Finale says bye to rear-drive six-pot

[boxedin]

The S1 will be reskinned from stuff like this:
https://www.bmw.co.uk/bmw-cars/m-performance/x2-m3...

[joedesi]

Had mine about a year - ZF 8speed - adaptive suspension - mperf exhaust

Its not perfect but as a small daily hack for :-

ferrying (small) kids on school runs
shopping (and not caring too much about where you park)
parking anywhere in london and not worried (it doesn't attract attention likje an M-car)

its hard to beat. Done 5 track days this year and had a great time. If well driven its faster than most cars and with TC off you can hang the tail out no problem - just needed a new set of front pads and changed front tires from supersport to PS4 - so pretty cheap on consumables.

Bad points -

- thirsty
- doesnt look special
- feels competent more than special
- suspension could be better - (test drove honda type r and guilia qv - thats how to do suspension!)

positives +

+ engine is great - sounds lovely, very powerful, slightly weak top end
+ interior tech makes everyday life easy peasy
+ fast
+ very easy to live with day 2 day
+ 8 speed zf great
+ brakes are strong - little fade on track if you are not over braking

The Dilemma:

Part of me feels this car is a few mods away from excellence - LSD + suspension upgrade is all it needs

I flick between deciding to mod the car or just bite the bullet on a manual m2 comp (less practical but more exciting)

first world problems....

[rfn]

Monty Python said:

JackReacher said:

I think the manual may have been discontinued for emissions reasons, but it was also a low seller. Most people chose the point and squirt option.

I'm glad I went manual with my m240i, adds a bit more involvement but the auto is a good a good box.

You also can't have things like active cruise/automatic collision mitigation with manuals, and given the way the EuroNCAP is going, lacking these features will affect the rating.

My other half has a manual SEAT with active cruise and front assist etc. Definitely possible.

[sgtbash]

Article states will be available in the US? Funny as they were never sold over there before!

Twin turbocharged? No

Australia never got a shadow edition, which this pack mostly consists of and we have had for a period of time now. Worth mentioning?

Not a very good article at all really is it.

[Prinny]

rfn said:

Monty Python said:

JackReacher said:

I think the manual may have been discontinued for emissions reasons, but it was also a low seller. Most people chose the point and squirt option.

I'm glad I went manual with my m240i, adds a bit more involvement but the auto is a good a good box.

You also can't have things like active cruise/automatic collision mitigation with manuals, and given the way the EuroNCAP is going, lacking these features will affect the rating.

My other half has a manual SEAT with active cruise and front assist etc. Definitely possible.

Yep, got a brand new (1300km) Focus this week. Manual with active cruise, every-bloody assist known to man (all of which can be turned off at least, so it’s not completely woeful).

Compared to the Golf I had a few weeks ago that still intervened even when switched ‘off’ it’s better, but it’s a low bar. The 3-pot feels significantly worse in this new model than any of the many Fiesta/Focii I’ve had with it before.

Back on topic, this is just another example of the increasing homogenization of the car. Lights must be at a certain height, safety requires ‘x’. Sooner or later the manufacturers all regress to the mean, as that’s what makes them the most money.

As enthusiasts, we bemoan this. The general public (sadly) couldn’t care less.

[BFleming]

joedesi said:

Bad points -
- doesnt look special
- suspension could be better - (test drove honda type r and guilia qv - thats how to do suspension!)

I think the looks are subjective. I was at the Frankfurt Motor Show when the F20 was revealed, and it's a stunning car compared to the previous generation 1 series E87. 8 or so years later I have an F20 in the current stable, and it's dog plain. However I still turn my head at a 135i or 140i. To me they really stand out. That's not something I do with a Focus or Golf.
You're right about the suspension though. It's nowhere near special enough given the power the car has.
Nobody has mentioned that as the 1 series is going FWD, the Giulietta is becoming RWD - probably with a certain tasty V6 engine too (& AWD for that one), so all is not lost - as long as you're ok with an Alfa.

[martin mrt]

Sadly it’s the last of the interesting hatches coming to an end, emmisions, platform sharing and profits are ultimately the business acumen behind the decision

The current 140i is a good car but has it’s flaws, the easily unsettled damping and lack of LSD being the biggest two I can fault on mine. It gets very very nervous when pressing hard on anything but smooth roads at speed.

Manual box, I wouldn’t thank you for in a BMW, both my E46 M3 manuals had an at best average gearchange, and the newer manual
demos I’ve driven courtesy of the wife have been little better.

Mine goes back at the end of the year, I probably won’t replace it with another BMW as nothing takes my fancy, I’m swaying towards a VW Golf GTI or R, saying that I might just run our Mk5 Golf R32 instead.

[RobM77]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I completely agree. I've owned a number of 6 cyl BMWs without LSDs and genuinely haven't missed one. I've owned two cars with LSDs as well, so I understand how they feel. The key points for me that make a difference to how a car drives are weight, weight distribution, a manual gearbox, control weightings and control feel. An LSD, for me, is a mere detail; in fact I usually prefer cars without them.

[wab172uk]

TheAngryDog said:

wab172uk said:

For the next 1 Series, BMW please.

1) Give it an option of a manual gearbox. Those of us that prefer manuals, don't give a sh*t if it's 0.2 seconds slower to 60.

2) AWD and 350bhp will be nicer than 300bhp.

3) Please for the love of God, make the next 1 series (and 2 Series) an attractive car to look at. The past 2 efforts is the reason why I've never even considered one.

BMW have just been on the phone to PH and confirmed that they're making this special edition for PH members only. They want to know when you're paying?

Joking aside, the market doesn't want these types of cars now, hence why we get what we get. The people that do want them are very few in number in the grand scheme of things. How many people would buy these new? Most people who want the manual option etc will be 2nd or 3rd owners.

Really? Only people buying second hand want a manual box? Is that an actual fact, or made up Bo***x like I think it is?

[TheMuu]

all cars are converging to the same formula:

small
4pot turbo auto with 4x4

Medium
6pot turbo auto with 4x4

Large
8pot turbo auto with 4x4

[iSore]

I wouldn't have a manual box. I wouldn't even consider one for a second if buying new. Sure, 20 years ago maybe but when normal 2019 driving is considered - like crawling for miles on the M42 - a gearbox as superb as the 8 speed ZF auto would be the very first option box I ticked.

Manual gearboxes are like CD players, a thing of the past.

[cerb4.5lee]

RobM77 said:

An LSD, for me, is a mere detail; in fact I usually prefer cars without them.

Lotus/McLaren/most Porsches don't bother with them so I do think that you are onto something thinking like that. I've had four RWD cars with a LSD and I personally much prefer a LSD than not having one. My FWD Mini only has a paltry 189bhp and that would benefit massively with a LSD imo, it spins its wheels at any given opportunity without one.

I prefer a LSD in a RWD for the show boating, but I also appreciate the extra traction that they offer too. I guess nowadays though the electronics can mimic a mechanical LSD fairly well anyway.

[Pica-Pica]

cerb4.5lee said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Does "Dramatic" mean...thirsty/not much torque/not that quick!

I don't miss Bmw's N/A I6's at all, I'm in the minority with that though...and I prefer something actually happening below 6000rpm.

I loved my E36 I6 Nat asp, very very smooth.

[DoubleD]

iSore said:

I wouldn't have a manual box. I wouldn't even consider one for a second if buying new. Sure, 20 years ago maybe but when normal 2019 driving is considered - like crawling for miles on the M42 - a gearbox as superb as the 8 speed ZF auto would be the very first option box I ticked.

Manual gearboxes are like CD players, a thing of the past.

Obviously this depends on where and when you drive a car. But I agree with you, autos are great when driving isnt much fun anyway.

[BrassMan]

apm142001 said:

Absolutely no point in buying the BMW over anything else from now on then, shame...

Also no reason to buy the competition over the BMW. They've probably looked at the focus groups, customer satisfaction surveys etc and concluded that this will gain more sales than it will lose.

[ITP]

iSore said:

I wouldn't have a manual box. I wouldn't even consider one for a second if buying new. Sure, 20 years ago maybe but when normal 2019 driving is considered - like crawling for miles on the M42 - a gearbox as superb as the 8 speed ZF auto would be the very first option box I ticked.

Manual gearboxes are like CD players, a thing of the past.

If most of your driving is crawling on the M42 for miles then you have bought the wrong car if you have a 140i. Or anything remotley sporty. You would be a lot better off in an automatic Honda Jazz, nice and comfy and cheap.

[cerb4.5lee]

ITP said:

iSore said:

I wouldn't have a manual box. I wouldn't even consider one for a second if buying new. Sure, 20 years ago maybe but when normal 2019 driving is considered - like crawling for miles on the M42 - a gearbox as superb as the 8 speed ZF auto would be the very first option box I ticked.

Manual gearboxes are like CD players, a thing of the past.

If most of your driving is crawling on the M42 for miles then you have bought the wrong car if you have a 140i. Or anything remotley sporty. You would be a lot better off in an automatic Honda Jazz, nice and comfy and cheap.

Surely you would eventually lose the will to live driving a Jazz though!

I do understand what you are saying but you have probably gone too far to the extreme for me.

[ITP]

cerb4.5lee said:

ITP said:

iSore said:

I wouldn't have a manual box. I wouldn't even consider one for a second if buying new. Sure, 20 years ago maybe but when normal 2019 driving is considered - like crawling for miles on the M42 - a gearbox as superb as the 8 speed ZF auto would be the very first option box I ticked.

Manual gearboxes are like CD players, a thing of the past.

If most of your driving is crawling on the M42 for miles then you have bought the wrong car if you have a 140i. Or anything remotley sporty. You would be a lot better off in an automatic Honda Jazz, nice and comfy and cheap.

Surely you would eventually lose the will to live driving a Jazz though!

I do understand what you are saying but you have probably gone too far to the extreme for me.

I tend to lose the will to live in traffic in anything. Might as well be something cheap so at least I’m not frustrated by having 300 plus horsepower, with all the cost that comes with it, getting nowhere faster than some old dear in a £200 fiesta.

Maybe a nice Lexus is300h is perfect for commuting in traffic. Very relaxing. Nice and luxurious.

[832ark]

richs2891 said:

Does any one know if the 2 series is been replaced at the same time ?
Thinking of getting the M240I but will hold off if a new one is in the offering this year

Can afford a new BMW but doesn’t know that been ≠ being.

[J4CKO]

Isnt the 2 series staying RWD ?